Prop
by Th4mes
Summary: One-shots of "TouKen" from Tokyo Ghoul. Personally I don't do romantic stuff, but this is my first time writing a fanfic for TG, so please don't read this if you either don't like this type of story (contains angst & fluff) or you don't like the pairing, then go find a suitable story written specially for you.
1. Chapter 1

:Prop

Tokyo Ghoul

(Touka/Kaneki)

Chapter 1

"Wounded Warrior"

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Doesn't matter how many identities he has... It also doesn't matter that he had such a twisted past. It doesn't matter how he been through a horrible period. He couldn't deny that he yearned for rest.

Outside, he is like a saint. Inside, he is like a warrior.

And now, he is like a warrior that had just gone out on the battlefield, critically wounded.

He doesn't need anything other than a rest.

Because the war he had been through, is inside of himself. No one would've understand.

 _He feels very exhausted..._

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No matter how much time has passed. She still have faith upon his return. Even that it means he will return to her as a new person, a new identity. But deep inside, she knew that he hasn't changed one bit.

He was just a "wounded warrior" that needs resting and healing.

She is definitely not a goddess or an angel, but why he stared at her like she was one?

But she couldn't resist all the joy upon his return. She has found him...even if he uses a different name.

 _'_ _Kaneki, you've return.'_

At that moment, he was crying. She handed him a handkerchief while flashing him a sad, awkward smile.

Who wouldn't be confused, why would the coffee shop's manager be handing her crying male customer a handkerchief?

At least that's what she thought.

When he paid for the coffee he ordered, he left. Leaving her behind once more.

She was standing there, waiting for him to return again.

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He felt something when he saw her. Like déjà vu or some sort of things like that. It's like he felt that he knew such a beautiful woman like her before. Though, he got no memory of her at all.

When he saw her flashing him a small smile, he felt like he has met an angel.

 _If this scene is in a romantic novel, he and her would be the protagonists of that story._

But, unfortunately he didn't have any interest in that type of novel. He read his old collection of novels that he somehow got them.

He thought that somehow, reading more of the novels he had would make him remember who he was back in the days.

But...sometimes, it felt like he had been possessed by the shadow of his past self, when his one kakugan activated, when he turned into a half-ghoul.

He even snapped his fingers like some sadistic person from time to time.

Honestly he wanted to know more about his past self, other than that he is a half-ghoul, half-human.

But he's afraid that...

 _When he step into the dark room,_

 _He will never find the light ever again._

He decided to pay a visit to the coffee shop ":Re" again.

He wanted to know more about her. He wanted to know about the relationship he has with her, lovers? Friends? Or even, enemies?

Or whatever that the two people can get into a relationship for. But he's sure of himself that she is not his sibling.

 _If he is a writer, then his biography novel would have more than hundreds of pages._

Besides his shrouded past that he is curious about. He still dying to find the answer about why would a half-ghoul like him work in CCG in the first place?

Although he has question this many times to himself, but he doesn't seem to receive any answers.

He pushes the door open and step into the coffee shop, his eyes are scanning the café, looking for a free spot.

Unfortunately, he had chose a wrong day to come back to the café, clearly that the café is crowded, so he would have to sit in front of the counter.

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"What would you like to order, sir?" A familiar voice asked him from behind.

"I would like black coffee and some sugar cubes, please." He ordered.

She is the same girl who handed him a handkerchief.

She's writing his order in her order notebook. "Wait for a moment, please." She said as she flashed him another smile.

Which he smiled back in the same manner, he couldn't help but thinking, that

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 _He has found a nice place to rest._

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 **A/N: Sorry if I have any grammar errors. This is my first TG one-shots, so if anything is outdated, my apologies for that.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 **"** **Mirrors/Puzzles "**

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Mirrors, Looking Glass, whatever you want to call it. It's a thing that is transparent and reflects the image of yourself or whoever that looks through it.

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Whether you look at it to admire yourself, or to embrace your true self. The mirror is still there.

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The sincerity is almost disappeared from the world. Only few who would find them.

Like a mirror, **_sincere and true_** but also **_fragile_** nonetheless.

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After all... mirrors are made from glass.

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Glasses can break, can shatter into small pieces with a great destructive force hit upon them.

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So does a person...when interact with the people they love, they become _sincere and true_ , they are **_alive_**.

But when those people are gone, they become _hollow and fragile_ , they are **_dying_**.

Either way, losing the person you most hold dear with your whole heart has more than one way.

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But, damn... it's still **fucking** hurts, doesn't it?

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Although, positive people would often comfort themselves with sweet words of lies that, viewing from negative people's point of view as bullshit.

Since, truth aren't made for those who can't accept it. Truth is _true, never-changing substance_ , and it's a **_cold-hearted truth_**.

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But still, we all prefer the smooth and easy ways of lies, rather than the cold metal façade of truth.

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Because, the truth never dies, and that's why we dislike it.

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No matter how hard you try to convince yourself, it won't fade away, until you finally let it go and clear your mind, finding balance within yourself.

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That's why we have masks and make-ups, to cover up the **_ugly truth_**.

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As Haise continuing his life normally, he can't stop and pause the thought that he is a _one-eyed ghoul_. Not even a _quinx_.

 _He'll never be accepted by the CCG._

Ironically, he can't even accept "the other side" of himself.

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He would sit down, closes his eyes and sighs.

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 _'_ _Maybe a little relaxation wouldn't kill me.'_

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Then, (as expected) he go to :re again.

This time, he'll get what he always wanted. _Answers._ And, to be able to face the cold, hard truth, he already prepare himself to face the dark side of himself.

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He is lucky that he entered the café before the rain starts to pour down.

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"Welcome!~" A familiar sweet voice and a small smile welcomes Haise as he closes the door.

Haise returns Touka his smile. "Hello, Kirishima-san." He friendly greets her, which make her smile even wider.

"No need to be so formal, you can call me Touka." Touka says as she prepares to write his orders.

Haise lets out a half smile while taking a seat on the table near the window.

"Heh, I prefer to call you Kirishima-san more than your name, not that I don't like you or something, it's just...we don't really know each other that well..." Haise tries his best to reply without hurting Touka's feelings.

"Well, I wouldn't mind being call so formal like that. But since you've been here once or twice now...I think you can call me by my name rather than keeping that formal composure. :Re is a place for relaxing, you know." Touka replies, her smile fades.

"All right, I'm sorry for being so stoic. Anyways, I would like the same coffee with some sugar cubes as usual, _Touka-chan_."

As Haise called her by her name, it sends chills down to her spine. She remembered his scent, surely that he still got the same scent, the same face, the similar personality. But when he called her "Touka-chan" it's like déjà vu hitting her very hard.

Her face starting to be redder, though it's more like a faint pink blush. It's been a long time since someone (especially a man) made her blush like a flustered high school girl.

She offers him another smile before turning her heels to get his coffee as he gave her his order.

Haise mentally smiled to himself when he saw her blush. It was such a cute sight of Touka, which he felt like he haven't seen this for a really long time. But he couldn't point a finger on it about when.

Ever since he starting to met people from his past, his memories came back, piece by piece.

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 ** _It's like a puzzle, where all of the pieces came together to make a picture, if some pieces are lost, the picture is incomplete._**

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Haise only waited for 5-6 minutes for his coffee to be served.

"Thanks, Touka-chan." He thanks her as he lifts his cup to take a sip from the newly brewed coffee.

"You're welcome, Haise." Touka replies, she turns around, about to go take other customer's order, but is stop by Haise's gentle and firm grab on her wrist.

"If, you don't mind, can you stay and talk to me for few minutes? I'm sorry that I bother you while you're working, but...there are some questions that I've wanted to ask you." Haise apologetically says to Touka.

"O-of course." Touka replies, then sits down in front of Haise.

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"...What kind of person is Kaneki Ken?" Haise starts the conversation with the most uncomfortable question for both himself and unknowingly for Touka as well.

"...He _was_ a warm, caring, smart person...but naïve nonetheless... After the cruel torture he went through, he _became_ cold, more ruthless and more reserved. But I don't **(I do)** know where he is now **(You are him, don't you?)** "

Touka replies with a sad look upon her face.

"...What kind of relationships he has with Ms. Fueguchi?" Comes the second most uncomfortable question.

"Hinami, you mean. They bonded over reading, Kaneki even offered to teach Hinami about some difficult Kanji that she can't read... It's all in the past now...After...after..." Touka suddenly stop talking, since thinking back about how Anteiku, her old home, is too painful to express.

"...She's...at Cochlea, right now. I...kinda saved her from Arima Kishou, by...using my ownership rights on her..." Haise replies, looking sad also. He didn't mean to make things sadder and harder for anyone...He just...

 **"** **Can't remember".**

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"...If you don't have anymore questions... I need to go back to work..." Touka tries to end the painful conversation softly as she could.

"Sure, I'm sorry...for...everything I had to ask..." Haise apologizes solemly, trailing off at his own words.

Touka slightly nods, before going back to do her job.

"I'm sorry...for not remembering you... I'm so sorry..." He whispers, before pay for his coffee and go out of :re.

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	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The Missing Notebook

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Normally, Touka isn't the person who would write her feelings down onto sheets of paper, or any diary in general.

But, after the emotional, painful, very horrible incident that happened back then, has left her scarred and yearned for extra comfort and affection.

It was such a childish feeling...

The childish feeling she felt led her into buying a diary, no, a "notebook".

When she bought it in the first time, her mind is blank, she doesn't know where and how to start writing everything that bottled up inside her.

So, she tries to think of it like it's a Student Profile, where most of the (necessary) things need to be recorded.

By time, she has come into realization that writing in her "notebook" is not terrible at all, in fact, it helped her gone through the emotional trauma and it was enjoyable to write and describe her feelings, her surroundings and plus knowing that no one will read it, makes her feel more at ease.

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Until...her 'notebook' went missing...

She suspected Yomo would be the one who stole it just to see the contents she wrote inside. But later shakes off the idea of such an accusation right away, since Yomo respected her privacy (and most of her choices).

Unlike Nishiki. Thinking of how a person like him would steal her (now) precious notebook is rather not so surprising.

Anyways, it made her feel violated and displeased.

She stormed out of her room after the notebook has gone, she walks over to Nishiki, inhaling and exhaling along the way, to make sure she will stay calm.

"Nishiki! Do you know where my 'notebook' is?!"

"Oy, oy, Shitty-Touka, is that how you greet people in the morning?!"

"Just tell me yes or no, damn it, Shitty-Nishiki!"

"Fine, fine! I didn't know that you write some girly shit in diary too...it doesn't suit you."

She kicks his leg as a respond that she is not amused by him.

"Ow! No! Now leave me to do my job! Geez..."

Touka sighs as the feeling of being violated and anxiousness still exist in her mind.

'His girlfriend would probably have a diary too...'

She worriedly thinks to herself.

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Someone hurriedly runs through the door of the shop. Touka almost drops the cups.

"Excuse you, mister—Haise?!"

Haise comes into the shop, panting. "Kirishima-san! I believe this is yours?" As he asks her, his hand offers her the notebook.

Her eyes widen a little. 'How come my notebook is with him?' She thinks, curiosity slowly building up.

She quickly snatches it from his extending hand, she hugged the notebook close to her, blushing a lot while glancing back at Haise.

"D-did you read it?!" She stutteringly spat, unable to tolerate the embarrassed feeling any longer.

"Uh, no! Of course not! It's just...that I almost submit your notebook as my report, I'm terribly sorry, Kirishima-san!" Haise genuinely apologizes and gives her a bow.

"No need to do that! How come you have it?" Her face starting to gone full crimson.

'Damn it, I'm not some flustered-high-school-girl anymore, then why acting and behaving like one?! Baka Touka!'

"I believe that you mistakenly put it on the table where I was sitting yesterday, I thought it is my report so I accidentally took it, I'm sorry, it won't happen again. I can assure you that, Kiri—"

"—Touka."

"...Touka-chan..."

"Well, since you've entered :Re, do you want some coffee? Or anything?" Touka finally returning in her normal state, asking Haise in her usual tone.

"Oh, a cup of coffee would be nice, thank you, Touka-chan..." Haise replies in a friendly gesture. He flashes a smile on his lips.

He takes a seat at the same table he usually sits, near the window of the coffee shop, or sometimes he would sit in a table that is in the middle of the shop.

Recently, :re and the CCG building are the two places he has gone more frequent than others.

Not that he mind it, but his "children" and his "parents" did. As it is suspicious about how he goes the same place more often than he should.

Like clockwork, after finish drinking the wonderful coffee brewed by Touka, he immediately leaves the shop, at 7:30 PM, sharp.

Touka is usually standing, watching him leave, when he left, she would go back to work.

She enjoys the life she is living, despite the odds, she also wishes the same for Haise.

He doesn't need to be his 'old self', all he needs to be, is to be happy and she will be happy as well.

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 _"_ _If you were to write a story about me in the lead role_

 _It would certainly be a_ _ **tragedy**_ _."_

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 _"_ _As long as I'm alive,_

 _You will be_ _ **a part**_ _of me."_

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 **/Terribly, truly, honestly, very, very sorry for the shitty-ass rushed chapter**. TT^TT It's getting late and I really got nothing special in my mind, if you can notice, I'm trying **SO HARD** to refine my writing style, honestly I don't think that I did such effort at all. Well, it's probably too rushed and shitty for you to notice. I tried not to overused any words, but when I do...I think it's not complete... Gee, this is the longest AN note that I ever use to complain...

I am repeating it again; **truly, terribly, honestly, sincerely apologize for the low-quality and so rushed chapter**.

I'm not sure _what_ will go for the next chapter...

...I'll guess I'll try my best... like someone would notice...

 **Bye.**


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